Chinese Literature References
Here are some works which have been of use to me and which I hope will also be of use to students. It will readily appear to experts to be the hastily and inexpertly cobbled-up thing that it is, but I believe that the works here listed will serve the needs of undergraduates in world literature survey courses. It will be seen that some time must probably elapse before the WWW provides any sizeable number of Chinese texts in translation. I would be most grateful for any suggestions, which can be sent to the following address : pmcquien@accd.edu
Web Sites
On-Line Resources
Chinese Poems in English Translation
Index and Database on Chinese Writers from Chinese U. of Hong Kong.
Historic Legends and Tales
Zhongwen.com Chinese Characters and Culture.
Asian Thought by Gordon Ziniewicz.
Books
About the Chinese Language
Herrlee Glessner Creel, Chinese Writing. American Council on Education. Pamphlet.
Bernard Karlgren, The Chinese Language. Ronald Press, 1949.
Histories of Chinese Literature
C.T. Hsia, A History of Modern Chinese Fiction, 1917-1957, Yale 1961. Superb.
Wu-chi Liu, An Introduction to Chinese Literature. Indiana U.P. The best there is.
Lu Hsun, A Brief History of Chinese Fiction. Foreign Languages Press, Peking.
Burton Watson, Early Chinese Literature. Columbia U.P. History, Philosophy, Poetry from earliest times through the fall of Han in A.D. 200.
Anthologies of Chinese Literature
Cyril Birch, Editor. Anthology of Chinese Literature from Earliest Times to the Fourteenth Century. Grove Press.
____. Anthology of Chinese Literature, Volume 2: From the Fourteenth Century to the Present Day. Grove Press.
Anne Birrell, Translator and annotator, New Songs from a Jade Terrace. A translation of the Yü-t'ai hsin-yung, a 6th c. anthology of love poetry . Allen and Unwin, 1982.
Jonathon Chaves, Translator and Editor, The Columbia Book of Later Chinese Poetry: Yüan, Ming, and Ch'ing Dynasties ( 1279-1911 ). Columbia U.P.
Kai-yu Hsu, Editor. Literature of the People's Republic of China. Indiana U.P.
Wu-chi Liu and Irving Yucheng Lo, Editors. Sunflower Splendor: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry. Indiana U.P. A must have.
David R. Knechtges, Translator and annotator, Wen xuan or Selections of Refined Literature. A translation, projected for eight volumes of the Wen Hsüan, an immense anthology of pre-T'ang literature. When finished, this work will be the translation of the century, at least from Chinese.
Stephen Owen, Editor and translator, An Anthology of Chinese Literature. Norton. A must have.
Robert Payne, Editor, The White Pony. John Day, 1947.
Burton Watson, Translator. Chinese Lyricism. Columbia, 1971.
Burton Watson, The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry From Early Times to the Thirteenth Century. Columbia U.P.
Greg Whincup, The Heart of Chinese Poetry. Anchor, 1987. Fifty-seven poems, each with original text, Romanization ( not pin-yin !), word-for-word translation, and polished translation. Bibliography
General Reference and Criticism
Cyril Birch, Editor, Studies in Chinese Literary Genres. California, 1974. Eleven papers by a stellar panel of authorities.
Richard John Lynn, Guide to Chinese Poetry and Drama G.K. Hall, 1984. Much sage and expert advice.
James J.Y. Liu, The Art of Chinese Poetry. Chicago, 1962.
William H. Nienhauser, Jr., Editor and Compiler. The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature. Indiana U.P. Indispensable.
Arthur Waley, Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China.
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